SCSO K9 dies of suspected underlying health condition
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office has been mourning the recent loss of Cain, a K-9 who had served with the county since June 2021.
“We’re devastated honestly, and kind of caught out of the blue on this one,” said Capt. Joseph Shamlin, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
Cain was found unresponsive in the back yard of home belonging to his handler, Deputy Hunter Thompson, on July 8.
According to reports,
Thompson came home that day after attending a birthday party at 4 p.m. and let Cain out of his indoor kennel to go outside for a while while the deputy took a shower before going to dinner.
After approximately 25-30 minutes, Thompson saw Cain laying underneath his covered patio soaked in sweat and unable to get up. Cain was immediately taken to an emergency veterinary clinic on Cantrell Road in Little Rock. The temperature outside that day was approximately 85 degrees. However, the animal’s temperature was 109 when they arrived at the vet clinic. Later that night, Cain passed away.
“We are very pro-police dog, we think they are very valuable assets,” said Shamlin.
While Cain was in the vet’s care, they ran blood work and blood transfusions but his condition only worsened as the treatment was not working. Eventually, the decision was made to use euthanasia.
The SCSO conducted an internal investigation and no signs of neglect or wrongdoing by the handler were found.
“We’re trying to figure it out ourselves,” said Shamlin of the cause of Cain’s death.
Photos of Thompson’s back yard revealed a shaded area, a water bowl and a kennel for Cain. Shamlin said they checked the backyard before assigning a K-9 to Thompson to see if it was suitable for a dog.
“It is our belief due to the short time outside, the temperature being mild, approximately 85 degrees, with shade and water being provided, that he had an underlying health condition,” a release from the SCSO states.